We’re all about “catch-all” recipes here at Budget Bytes—flexible recipes that you can add just about anything to, so you can use up the leftover odds and ends in your fridge. This Baked Eggs recipe is especially great because it’s an almost effortless way to treat yourself to an extra special weekend breakfast AND use up your leftovers at the same time. Now that’s what I call working smarter, not harder. 🙌
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What Are Baked Eggs?
I know, the name sounds self-explanatory, but let me explain a little further about what we’ve got going on in this dish. These baked eggs are simply eggs that have been cracked into a casserole dish with a few “extras” (like vegetables and cheese), a little seasoning, and a splash of cream to keep the eggs moist and delicate as they bake. It’s seriously the easiest breakfast dish you can make.
Baked eggs are usually baked only to the point where the whites are softly set and the yolks are still liquid. The yolks act as a sauce that pours over the eggs as they’re eaten, and it can be dipped or stopped up with some good bread. It’s the type of delicious simplicity that I love!
How Long to Bake Eggs
The amount of time needed to bake eggs to perfection is going to depend on several factors like the size and material of your baking dish, the temperature of the ingredients when they go into the oven, how many eggs you’re baking, and your oven’s temperature. So it’s imperative that you check the eggs early and keep a close eye on them as they bake.
I suggest baking eggs at either 350ºF or 375ºF and checking their doneness after about 10 minutes. If the whites are still not set, give them a few more minutes and just watch them closely.
What Else Can I Add?
One of the main reasons I love baked eggs is that they’re extremely versatile. Here are some ideas for other ingredients you can add to baked eggs:
- Meat: try diced deli ham, cooked bacon, or cooked breakfast sausage.
- Vegetables: bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, artichokes, zucchini.
- Cheese: Parmesan, Chevre, Swiss, Cotija.
You can also drizzle your favorite sauce over your baked eggs, like salsa, hollandaise sauce, or chimichurri. Get creative with this baked eggs recipe!
What to Serve with Baked Eggs
Baked eggs are begging to be served with some crusty bread, a toasted English muffin, or a biscuit. You can dip the bread or spoon the baked eggs right on top of the bread or biscuit. Either way, you don’t want to lose a drop of those liquid gold yolks! Round out the meal with some oven baked bacon or maple breakfast sausage, and then maybe some lemon blueberry scones for dessert. ;)
Baked Eggs
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.14)
- 2 cups fresh spinach* ($0.65)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes ($1.00)
- 4 large eggs ($0.83)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.01)
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream ($0.21)
- 2 Tbsp crumbled feta** ($0.69)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Melt the butter and brush the inside of an 8×8-inch casserole dish.
- Roughly chop the spinach and slice the tomatoes in half. Sprinkle the spinach and tomatoes inside the casserole dish.
- Crack the eggs into the casserole dish on top of the spinach and tomatoes. Season with the salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Drizzle the heavy cream over the eggs, then sprinkle the crumbled feta on top.
- Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or just until the whites are set and the yolks are still liquid. (start checking around 10 minutes and add time as needed). Serve with crusty bread for dipping!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Baked Eggs – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 375ºF. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and brush the inside of an 8×8-inch baking dish with the melted butter.
Prep your add-ins. We roughly chopped two handfuls of fresh spinach and sliced one cup of grape tomatoes. You could also sauté your vegetables first, if you prefer.
Place the spinach and tomatoes in the baking dish. Crack four eggs on top of the spinach and tomatoes.
Drizzle 2 Tbsp heavy cream over the eggs. The fat and moisture in the cream helps keep the eggs soft and moist while they bake.
If you’re adding cheese, sprinkle that over top (we added about 2 Tbsp crumbled feta). Season the eggs with about ⅛ tsp each of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Bake the eggs in the preheated 375ºF oven for about 15 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks are still liquid (the tops might get a little cloudy, but that’s okay). Start taking a peek at the eggs after about 10 minutes, just to make sure you don’t over cook them.
Enjoy the baked eggs with some crusty bread, biscuits, bacon, or sausage! Oh, and don’t forget a cup of really good coffee… 🤤
We made this last week for dinner – I only had whole milk, so I used conservatively and covered the egg dish with foil the whole time. I uncovered it for the last 4 minutes, and the yolks were less runny…which was what I was going for. The milk and egg white ran through the crannies of the spinach/tomato, and made an awesome omelet-y layer. We served on English muffins, and I took the last one to work. My co-workers gathered around like it was the greatest thing they’d ever seen: “How do you bake an egg?!” Recipe = shared. I even used drained canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh, and the whole thing tasted fresh and simple and delicious.
This is an amazingly filling and delicious recipe! I didn’t get to the store today and was searching your site for a egg recipe and stumbled upon this one. I had to sub in canned diced tomatoes but it was still very tasty! I can’t wait to experiment with various vegetables and flavors. Thank you!
Hi Beth!
Thank you for this lovely recipe! I just made it for my Saturday lunch and its one of these recipes that you can make for just for yourself in no time and its still super yummy!
I put a few slices of ham at the bottom then spinach, then slices of heart of palms(didn’t have tomatoes), then eggs and cheese, completely forgot the cream and it turned out super super yummy!!!
Made this for breakfast this morning… soo good and so easy to make! Real winner for sure.
This has been my favorite breakfast for a while now, but I recently discovered a game changer: serve this over grits with a half ounce of sharp cheddar mixed in. It may be the best thing you have ever done for your taste buds (and will leave you with a very full belly). :)
Oh my, that made my mouth water!
This turned out yummy!
A question tho: What would ‘creamier cheese’ be?
(I used an Italian mix)
Thanks,
Robin
Something a bit softer, like gruyere (Italian cheeses are hard cheeses like Parmesan or Asiago).
Yummy, loved by the whole family. I left out the cream and they were fine.
Just made it and it was really tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
As for the cream substitute – I drizzled it all with a bit of soy milk and it worked nicely, so there :)
I really want to try out this recipe, but I’m lactose intolerant so I’m worried about the cream/half-and-half. Is there something I can safely use as a substitute that won’t make the dish watery?
Hmm, you know, I really can’t think of anything that has the same consistency and will keep the eggs moist. You really need something fatty, like cream to prevent it from being watery, but straight up fat like butter or coconut oil will just make it greasy. You can try just leaving it out, but I can’t vouch for how much it will be affected.
A roux, fat (butter) and flour, would work.
It’s basically like gravy, and would work well with the veggies and eggs.
My boyfriend and I just made this and it was great! We used 1% milk instead of half and half and less than half a cup of cheese to make it a little healthier. We also covered the dish with foil for the first 10 minutes, then baked 10 minutes longer, which cooked the eggs pretty evenly.
Hi Beth – it sounds like the cream is pretty important here, but I don’t have any and am trying to avoid going to the store. I do have 2% milk and plain greek yogurt. Would either of those (or some combination) work?
Hmm… The milk might work, but it will probably create a more watery texture. I wouldn’t advise using the yogurt.
This looks so delicious, but I’m not a huge fan of runny yolks! :( Is there anything you’d suggest other than cooking the whole dish a little longer?
No, I think that might be the only solution. :)
Maybe beat the eggs with the cream and make them more of a scrambled egg?
Could I freeze the leftovers for later use?
This one probably won’t freeze well because eggs tend to seep water and over cook upon reheating from frozen. Refrigerating is best.
Would it be possible to use fresh baby spinach instead? If I did how could I “prep” the spinach?
Yep, you sure can! I would sauté it briefly in a skillet with a little oil until it wilts down. This should only take a few minutes, then just use it as directed in the recipe. :)
This was a very pleasant surprise! I’m not a big fan of runny eggs, so I poked the yolks with a fork a few minutes before the end of cooking. It didn’t change much, just enough that I didn’t need a spoon. Very yummy!